Closing Early
by The Demon's Reflection
Summary: A late shift at the Nine Bells, takes a turn. Set two years before the events of the game. Contains some coarse language, and violence.
1. Closing Early

**I had to get this out of my head. It's been floating around since I've first completed the latest Tomb Raider, and after finishing my most recent play through. I had to get this down, it's been blocking my creativity. So here you go, probably just a one shot. Hope you enjoy.**

**UPDATE! Major grammar correction and, extension to the middle. I actually wrote the original version while kinda drunk, Gotta love the irony, eh?**

* * *

The Nine Bells, was an incredibly popular establishment. An Irish theme bar, with football matches being shown on the widescreen TV on the wall, Almost every night it had a crowd of students and men just off from a hard days work. _Almost_ every night.

It was the day after Saint Patrick's day, and a Monday, so the crowd was pretty much nonexistent. Several patrons, had showed up but for the most part they had only stopped in for one drink. A few remained, there was a girl sitting alone in a corner booth a single glass of wine in front of her, and an old man sat in the middle of the room, nursing a glass of whiskey, only one table was full. Several men aged between 18 and 23, all of them yelling suggestive things at the young barmaid, Who simply ignored them unless they were ordering drinks.

Lara stood behind the bar, in her uniform, a black, short sleeve button up shirt, with the Nine Bells, logo on the, chest pocket, and a name pin on the right side, as well as a pair, of plain black trousers, and a pair of Black converse, her second favourite pair of shoes, behind he boots. She absentmindedly wiped down the counter with a rag. Declan, her co-worker came in from the back room. He was a a tall man, in his early twenties, he had thick black hair and small stubbly beard, his bight green eyes sparkled he was a man who was almost always in a good mood. He had been working in the Nine Bells since he was 15, as his father was the owner. He noticed Lara's vacant gaze. He grabbed her shoulder, and shook her. "Lara, are you alright love?" he asked in his thick Belfast accent.

Lara suddenly came crashing back down. She turned to Declan. "Oh, sorry Declan, I was..." She began to explain her self but Declan cut across her.

"Somewhere more interesting than here." He joked, "Aye, it's one of those boring nights." He looked through the crowd.

Lara was about to respond, when the sound a of breaking glass followed by cheering from the table full of young men caught her attention. "I'll get it." She told Declan as she lifted the small dustpan and brush in order to sweep up the broken glass, and slung a cloth over her shoulder in order to wipe the table off.

She approached the table, the men wolf whistled as she walked. As she began to sweep the floor, the one nearest to her began to speak, "I'm really sorry about that...Lara." he paused to read he name badge, (and stare where his gaze wasn't wanted) his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Accident's happen, Paul." She said casually. Lara glanced at him. He was the dictionary definition of a chav, the back and sides of his head were shaved, and the top of his head was covered in a ridiculous crop of multicolored spiked hair. He had two diamond earrings, and a silver stud in his eyebrow, and a thick golden chain around his neck, he was wearing an Adidas track suit, which was the height of irony, as he was incredibly overweight.

She finished sweeping the floor, she leaned over the table and wipe the spilled drink, She felt her cheeks redden, as she realized the man across, the table was attempting to look down her top. She straightened up, "Try to behave boys." She said, beginning to turn.

"Come on and sit with us a minute." Paul's voice came. "The boys didn't believe me when I said there was, a Posh Barmaid." he raised the pitch of his voice, trying to imitate a posh accent. "They came just to meet you."

"I've got work to do." Lara turned. She gasped as she felt someone grab her ass. She turned and seen Paul grinning, and he instinctively slapped him. He rose from his seat sending the chair tumbling, and grabbed her wrist.

That wasn't very nice." His eyes full of rage, he wasn't going to allow himself to be emasculated, by a barmaid.

A hand grabbed him by the back of the neck, and another wretched his hand from Lara's wrist. "I've warned you before." Declan's voice was full of contempt. He dragged the smaller man, to the door and pushed him out into the rain. "If you come back, I'll skin you alive you little gobshite!" The door slammed, and he strode over to the table and addressed the rest of the group. "Any of the rest of you try anything, your getting barred as well."

Lara had made her way back to the bar, she was stunned, this was one of those very rare occasions, where Declan was angry. It was kind of scary to see. Declan made his way back over to Lara. "Are you all right there, Lara?"

"Yeah," Lara sighed, "I wouldn't have signed up to this job if I couldn't handle someone grabbing my ass." She watched as one of the men as the rest of the boy got up from their seats and began to leave yelling obscenities as they left.

"You're a tough one, I can see why Dad, hired ye." Declan smiled. "You know I've been looking for an excuse to bar that bastard for a while."

"Glad I could be an excuse." She smiled slightly. Declan grinned as he went about his work.

* * *

Half an hour passed without any incident. Declan walked over to Lara, who had just finished washing glasses. "You know Lara I don't think it's gonna pick up tonight, You can go home early if you want. I'll still pay ye for the full day." He said politely.

"Thanks, Declan. But I'm okay." Lara smiled. "I like to use these slow nights to do mental revision."

Declan grimaced, "Well you see, Lara...I've got to be honest. I was hoping to close up early, because, I wasn't supposed to be working tonight, only dad got sick, I was supposed takin' your friend out tonight." He indicated to the woman sitting in the corner of the bar. Lara looked over to see Sam, waving her fingers individually,

"W-would you excuse me a moment?" Lara excused herself and made her way over to Sam's table.

"Hey Lara." Sam greeted, swirling her wine. "Busy night?" She asked sarcastically.

"How long have you been here?" Lara questioned the smaller woman.

"Long enough to see you slap that weird guy." She smiled. "Nice hit, I think they heard it in China." she laughed.

"Sam, why didn't you tell me you were dating Declan." Lara asked.

"Well for one we aren't 'Dating'." She punctuated the last word with her fingers, "And second, he's your Boss, I didn't want you to get weird about it."

"Sam, he's not my boss." Lara whispered. "He's my boss' son."

"Oh, I get it." Sam smirked. "You like him."

"No." Lara said, "He's a friend."

"Great. Then please let him take me out." Sam pleaded. "Come on Lara, he's_ really _nice."

Lara gave in. "Fine."

Same hugged her around the waist "Thanks, Lara. You're the best." she squealed.

Lara wrenched herself free from Sam's grip, "Just give me a few minutes to sort Declan out." she walked over to the bar.

"I know that look." Declan quipped. "You're not happy." He laughed.

"No, I'm just annoyed you didn't tell me." Lara said.

"I'm sorry, I promised Sam I wouldn't." He grimaced.

"Can you just do me a favour and make sure she's home by one? She has a test tomorrow." Lara practically begged.

Declan looked at his watch. "Aye will do,but if it hasn't picked up by eleven I want you to close. And if anything happens, you call me on the spot."

"Deal." Lara said. Declan lifted his coat and made his way over to Sam. The two made their way over to the door. They said a quick good bye and Lara waved as they left. Lara was now alone in the bar save for the old man in the middle of the room still nursing his whiskey.

Lara took a gamble and changed the channel on the widescreen TV, the old man didn't seem to care that the football had been turned off, Lara continued to browse, she settled on a Wildlife documentary, narrated by David Attenborough.

Within a few minutes, the old man finally decided to finish his drink. He left his glass on the counter, he got up and slowly made his way to the door. "Good night, Lara." He said in his thick Scottish accent.

"Good night Malcolm." Lara said. She made her way over to the table, to collect his glass and wipe down the table. Upon arriving at the table she found a neatly folded twenty pound note under his glass.

Lara, was half tempted to charge out after him and make him take back the tip, it was far too much. She decided against it.

Malcolm had spent most nights in the bar over the last month. His wife of sixty years, had died several months back, he had no children or close family to speak of. He instead chose to help people as best he could since then, when he heard Lara, was refusing to use the money her parents left her, choosing to make her own way in life, he decided to pitch in every now and then, it was the kind of self motivation that was lacking in most people that she had, that he admired, about her.

Lara took the money to the til, deposited the note and took the change. She walked around the bar and settled along one of the stools. She watched the documentary intently.

* * *

The small bell above the door, rang as someone entered. Lara turned towards the door to see Alex standing there, dripping wet from the Rain. as small brown paper bag in his hand. "Hey, Lara." He said casually.

"Alex. What are you doing here?" She asked, rising from her stool and heading back round the counter.

"Nice to see you too." He joked. "I was heading home, and thought I'd drop in."

"Alex, you're a terrible liar." she teased.

"No, seriously, I was fixing my friend Dave's computer and I just finished. Thought I'd drop in."

"Alex, I know where Dave lives. Coming here is the opposite way from the tube station." She smirked.

Alex knew when he was beaten. "Okay, Sam called and asked me to come check up on you. She knew I was in the area, and she said you were here all alone, and she wanted me to make sure you were okay."

"That wasn't so hard was it." She grinned. "That's really sweet of you Alex."

"I'm sorry Lara." He began.

"No it's fine. It was actually getting really boring in here. I hate having nothing to do. Can I get you anything since you're here?"

"Uh...Yeah sure, I'll take a Budweiser." Alex said taking a seat at the bar.

"Coming right up." She reached into the small fridge and withdrew a bottle, she popped the cap off and handed it to him. She took his money inserted it into the til, counted out and handed him his change. "So what's in the bag." she asked.

"What? Oh, Dinner." he had flailing the bag. "A bacon Cheese burger and french fries."

"You do know they're called chips here, right?" She laughed.

"You do know that they were called French Fries first." He stated matter of factly.

"Okay, fair point." Lara giggled.

In the few minutes it took for Alex to drink his beer the two chatted about mundane things, such as the weather. The last drops of beer drained down Alex's throat. "Well I guess, I should go." Alex said.

"No don't." Lara started "I mean. Stay a while. I'm trying to do mental revision but I'd feel better if I could get feedback."

"Okay...sure." Alex said."Isn't there a rule about no outside food?"

"Don't worry, I won't tell Declan." Lara smiled. "Besides it'll be colder if you wait to get all the way home to eat."

"You sure it's okay?" Alex asked, opening the bag and withdrawing the contents."

"Yes, of course. As long as you share some of your French Fries." she grinned at him.

Alex smirked. "Yeah okay, you can have some _chips_." The both laughed as Alex began to test Lara.

* * *

The next few hours passed, and no one had entered the pub since Alex arrived. Lara and Alex, sat at the bar. Lara turned to look at the clock. It was quarter past eleven "Well this place is dead. I told Declan if It hadn't picked up by eleven I'd close." She got up from her seat and headed back around the bar.

"You need any help?" Alex asked.

"No, Everything's pretty much done." Lara said. She reached for a bottle of Scotch and two glasses.

"What's this?" Alex asked as she poured the liquid into the glasses.

"My way of saying Thank you. Johnny Walker Blue Label. Declan Keeps a Bottle behind the counter for special occasions." She pushed the glass towards him.

"Blue Label..? Lara that stuff is like three hundred a bottle." He reached for his wallet.

"Which is why I'm giving it to you. Don't worry, this Bottle is for Staff use, no one gets charged for this."

Alex release his grip from his wallet and left it in his back pocket. "Okay." He lifted his glass. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Lara smiled. They clinked their glasses together, Both sank there drinks and coughed slightly.

"Good stuff." Alex said.

"Yeah. I still prefer Captain Morgan's" Lara laughed. "Hey if you don't mind waiting we can head for the tube together."

"Sure, okay. Hey do you mind if I read the bottle." Alex asked, Lara raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I've always liked reading labels."

"Yeah sure." Lara laughed. "I do the same thing." She gathered the glasses off the counter and dropped them in the sink. She then grabbed the floor brush and began to sweep the floor.

"Really?" Alex asked. "I always thought it was nerdy, even for me...Not that you're nerdy...but you're not stupid...I mean."

Lara giggled silently. "It's okay Alex, I am a nerd. I read all the time, I do my assignments on time, I memorize things that could only help on a game show and I have have a collection of video games larger than my wardrobe." she listed off the various facts about herself.

"You game?" Alex asked shocked.

"Doesn't everyone?" Lara stated. Despite the fact Barely any of the floor had seen the bottom of any shoes that night, Lara still insisted on going over whole floor.

"Y-you just never struck me as the type." Alex told her as she returned behind the counter.

"Well, we all need a way to unwind, and it's better than clubbing." Lara groaned the last word. "And with the way movies are going they're the better choice."

"I have to agree." Alex said. "Sooooo, What platform are you on?"

"PlayStation." Lara said as she was put the brush away. "I've got all three generations, and an old Nintendo and Sega system."

Alex's eyebrow raised. Lara was just full of surprises. "I'm PlayStation as well, for the most part, but I've got most, of the older systems."

"We'll have to get together and play sometime." Lara suggested.

"It's a date." Alex said, his eyes widened when he realized what he said.

"What was that? Lara asked.

"I...said...you pick the date." Alex lied, Lara looked as though she bought it.

Lara began to wash the two glasses, the bell above the door rang. "Sorry but we're closed." Lara called over her shoulder. She heard footsteps indicating someone walking towards the bar. "I said were closed." Lara turned to see Paul striding towards the counter. "You were barred, Paul. Get out!"

"Look, I only came to apologize to you and Declan. I was out of Line." Paul stated. If it wasn't for the fact Paul was a known liar, she might have believed him.

"Well Declan's not here, so if you want to apologize come back tomorrow. Now get out!" Lara hissed at him and pointed to the door.

"It's too bad he's not here, I really wanted to speak to him." He grinned Maliciously.

Alex stepped between Lara and Paul. "You heard the lady, pal. I think you should go." Alex was several inches taller than him, he hoped it would be a good enough deterrent.

"All right. I'll go." He turned on his heel, but suddenly spun back around, his fist making contact with the side of Alex's head. Alex fell to the ground with a heavy bang.

"Alex!" Lara screamed. She was about to rush around to him, when Paul Pulled a revolver from the waistband of his tracksuit bottoms.

"Don't move." he roared. "Empty the till. NOW!"

Lara was terrified. Paul had a gun, and he was stupid enough to use it. "Paul, this isn't worth it. There's barely been any customers today, the tills practically empty.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled cocking the hammer of his revolver. "EMPTY THE TILL!"

"Okay, okay." Tears began to stream down her face and her breath began to come short and quick, she felt like she was having an asthma attack, something she hadn't felt since she was a child. She pressed the button on the till. the drawer slid open.

"Now fill into that bag." He said indicating the bag Alex had brought his dinner in. Lara reached for the bag on the counter, she began to put the money in the bag. "Faster!" He roared.

"I'm going as fast as I can." She sobbed.

"NOT FAST ENOUGH YOU WORTHLESS CUN-" His sentence was ended with a dull thud. Paul fell to the ground.

Lara looked, and Saw Alex standing with the bottle of Johnny Blue Walker clenched between his fists. "Well...nice to see they didn't cheap out on the bottle." he said inspecting the total lack of damage to the bottle of Scotch.

"Alex." Lara Wheezed, she slowly fell to the ground

"LARA!" Alex hopped over the bar and crouched beside Lara. "Lara. Do you have asthma?"

She nodded then shook her head. "Yes...Well no, I did when I was little, but I haven't had an attack in years. Alex helped her up, and rested her back against the door of the fridge.

Alex started to panic. He spotted the bag, He felt the weight and emptied the contents onto the floor, coins began to roll everywhere. "Here, breath into this." Lara graciously took the bag and began to breath, attempting to steady herself. "I'm gonna call the police." He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Call...Declan..." Lara panted between breaths. She took her phone from her pocket and held it up to Alex her hands trembling. As she breathed she could smell the vinegar, and feel it in her throat as is helped to open her airways again.

"Okay, but Police first." He said dialing.

"Alex...get...the...gun..." Lara said. Alex nodded and vaulted over the counter again, the gun rested several inches from Paul's hand. Deciding not to get his prints on the gun, he kicked it across the room, under one of the booths . Unsure of exactly where it landed, he was satisfied that if Paul came to he wouldn't be able to find it either.

"Emergency services what's you're emergency." came the calm voice of a woman. Alex felt some of the tension leaving his body her voice, was so smooth, like butter rolling down a hill made of velvet.

"Yeah...I uh...need, the police...and an ambulance." Alex said against his better judgement. "At the Nine Bells. There was a robbery...Well attempted robbery."

"Emergency services are on their way. Please remain calm." the voice came.

"Thank you..." he hung up and scrolled through Lara's contacts til he cam across the one listed 'Declan Murphy' he pressed the call button. Alex stood worried that Paul could wake up at any minute. The dial tones seemed to take forever to pass, when finally they ceased and a man, answered.

"Hey, Lara? Something wrong." Declan asked.

"HEY LARA!" Alex could hear Sam's voice, coming through.

"Hi...Declan...This is Alex..." Alex began.

"Alex? Alex who."

"HEY ALEX!" Sam voice came again."

"I-I'm a friend of Lara and Sam's." he stated trying to get to the point.

"Oh aye, you're that American Lad. How's it going?"

"BAD." Alex yelled, "Someone tried to rob the bar, Lara told me to call you."

"What? Who?" Declan said Alex could tell he was mad.

"Some guy Paul...fat guy...stupid hair." Alex described the would be robber.

"THAT TOERAG!? I'M ON MY WAY BACK! I'LL BE THERE IN TEN MINUTES!" The line went dead indicating Declan had hung up.

Alex made his way back around the bar. Lara's breath had slowed down considerably, but was still faster than it should be. "Hey. How you holding up?" He asked clearly still concerned.

Lara lowered the bag from her mouth. "Better." She breathed. "I'm so sorry, Alex." She said, wiping her eyes.

"What? You Don't have anything to be sorry about." Alex claimed.

"I asked you to stay." She said. "If I hadn't you wouldn't have got hit."

"And you could be in the hospital, from a severe asthma attack." Alex countered.

Several moments passed and Lara moved her hands to her side, and began to push herself up. "Hey, you sure you're good to move?"

"I have to get the first aid kit. We need to take care of that cut on your head." Lara said, shakily getting to her feet.

Alex put his hand to the side of his head. He could feel the gash, it was quite big, and the blood felt like it was still pouring out, it was quite sore "It's only a flesh wound." He grinned quoting Monty Python.

"Alex, I told you. You're a terrible Liar." Lara giggled. Bent down to retrieve the first aid kit from the bottom shelf, keeping one hand on the counter to steady herself in the corner of the bar. She padded back across the floor, her legs still felt wobbly. "Take a seat I'll patch you up."

"Fine." Alex surrendered. "But I'll take the stool around here. I saw how wobbly you were walking. "

"Deal." Lara agreed. Leaning back against the bar.

Alex made his way around the counter and grabbed the closest stool to him. It took every once of self control he had to not walk over and kick Paul several times. He returned to where, Lara was. He placed the stool in the middle of the area and sat down.

Lara opened the first aid kit and took out some disinfectant, several cotton swabs and a band-aid. She poured the disinfectant, on the swap and addressed Alex, "This will sting a little." She said.

Alex winced as she swabbed his cheek. "Damn. That does sting."

"Sorry, I did warn you." Lara couldn't help but smirk a little. She paused for a moment. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here, Alex."

"Well." He began. "You certainly wouldn't have got any French fries." he joked.

"Hilarious, Alex." Lara smiled. Alex was able to change the mood in a morgue. He was really funny, he never gave himself enough credit. Lara took out the band-aid, she peeled of the band aid seal, and applied it to his face. Then without warning she gently kissed Alex's cheek. "For being brave, You get a big boy band aid." she laughed.

Alex was reeling from the kiss. "What do you mean, big boy band-aid?"

"Well, we keep the ones with teddy bears and sheep on them for the fights in here to show the boys, just how childish they are." She explained. "But you get to have a Superman band-aid."

Alex laughed a little. Finally the sounds of sirens could be heard growing louder. "Sounds like our boys are here." Alex stated, Lara nodded. "We're going to need to give statements." Alex said.

Lara nodded. "So much for closing early."

* * *

**There it is. Hope you liked it. Not sure if it'll continue but given my crappy track record for updates, don't hold your Breath. **


	2. Now or Never

Another chapter I couldn't get out of my head. So I guess this story is continuing.

WARNING: There are some offensive terms used in this chapter. These are not my own beliefs; I am very keen on other cultures, And have friends from all sorts of cultural backgrounds. If any Asian people reading this are offended, I apologize, that was NOT my intent.

* * *

The door swung open and two Police officers came striding into the pub. One of them was an older man, very grey and very stern looking. His shoulders were back and his head was high. His eyes darted over the scene. He spied Lara and Alex behind the bar. He spotted the young man on the floor. He strode over.

"We got a call about an attempted robbery." He said, his voice had a thick Dorset accent.

The younger of the two officers, crouched down and checked the unconscious Paul. "He's still alive." He announced. "There's a lump on the back of his head the size of Wales, but he's alive."

"Yeah...I hit him." Alex said timidly, raising his hand. "In self defence of course...He had a gun, I kicked it over there somewhere." He pointed towards the back of the bar.

"I'll take a look." The younger man said.

"Have you called an ambulance?" He asked. "This poor Chap appears to have received quite a wallop."

"Poor Chap!?" Alex yelled. "He started this.

"I'm not disputing that young man. However, he is the one who is lying here unconscious."

"Alex called, an Ambulance." Lara spoke finally. Her voice was shaky.

"Sir, I've found the gun." He said. Walking towards them with the gun in an evidence bag. The older man nodded. Just then the Paramedics arrived. They rushed over. "Call it." One of them said.

"IC-1 Male, aged between, 20 years old. Weight is approximately, ninety kilos. He has a large lump, on the back of the head, and a broken nose."

Alex smirked a little when he heard that.

As the paramedics continued their analysis, Paul began to stir. "He's coming to."

"Ow. What the fuck happened?" He tried to rub the back of his head, and winced in pain, when he touched the lump."

"Sir, please don't move." The paramedic stated. "You've taken a nasty blow, and had a fall."

His eyes opened and he quickly glanced around; He panicked when he spotted the two police officers. "Shit!" He pushed the paramedics, away and scrambled to his feet. He attempted to run, but in his disoriented state, he was foiled by the table.

The younger officer made his way, over and picked him off the ground. He put a pair of handcuffs on him. "Hang on a second. I know this guy he said."

The older police officer turned towards him. "Is that so?"

"Yes sir. He's believed to be behind the shooting at that Chinese place about a mile from here. Apparently the proprietor is in critical condition."

"You shot, Mr Cheung?" Lara screamed, horrified. She had been going to his take away since she began her first year at University.

"I didn't shoot anybody." Paul sneered. "And who cares if some slanty-eyed gook gets shot any way. There's a billion more where he came from.

Lara felt her blood boil. If the police hadn't been there she would have hit him again. Mr Cheung never hurt anyone; he was one of the nicest people Lara had met.

"Well, ballistics test will see if your weapon is the one that fired the shots." The young officer began. Holding up the gun in the evidence bag.

One of the Paramedics cleared his throat. "I believe that we should bring this man to the hospital. He could have a severe concussion. He should get a CT scan."

The older gentleman nodded. He turned back to Alex and Lara. "You two will need to come to the station to make statements about what happened here. Lara looked at Alex, they both nodded. Despite the circumstances they both felt as though they were children being told off for stealing biscuits.

"I'll go with the Paramedics." The younger officer said. "It'd be unwise to leave this one unsupervised."

"Very well." He agreed "You two to shall accompany me to the station."

The Young officer grabbed one of Paul's arms and began to lead him from the building; When the door opened for a third time. Declan stood there, when he caught sight of Paul, his face contorted into an expression of rage.

The two paramedics halted him as he began to charge, with great Difficulty, they managed to hold him back. Sam rushed past them and made her way over to Lara, and threw her arms around her. "Oh sweetie, I was so worried."

"Sam, It's okay. Thanks for sending Alex to check up on me. I don't know what would have happened, if he wasn't here." She shuddered, thinking about Mr Cheung.

Sam turned to Alex. "Geez, Alex. I'm super glad I called you. And even gladder you stayed."

"Hey, Lara asked me to help her study." He shrugged. "I know how difficult it is to test yourself."

"Aw you nerds are so cute." Sam smiled.

Declan strode over to the bar, he reached over the counter for a bottle of whiskey; he uncorked it, and took several large mouthfuls. Before he turned to Lara, "I'm sorry, I left ye here alone Lara. I should've known, better."

"No, Declan." Lara began. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known this would happen."

Declan, wanted to argue but the words eluded him. He turned his attention to Alex. "So you wanna explain what happened Superman." He said, trying to joke in order calm himself.

"Well, he came in and, Lara tried to get him to leave. I tried to help, so he hit me." He indicated the band aid. "And that's when he pulled the gun. So I hit him with the bottle, when I got an oppourtunity." Alex said indicating the Bottle of Scotch.

Declan was nodding, he seemed satisfied. "Okay, I'm glad you were, here."

"Thanks. I'm glad I could help." Alex grimaced.

Declan extended a hand. Alex almost hesitated. "I'd like to buy you a drink some time. To thank ye properly."

"Sure. Okay Alex said."

A cough caught their attention. They turned to the Police officer still waiting on Lara and Alex.

"We should go." Lara said.

"I'm coming with you." Sam declared.

"No, Sam." Lara said. "I'll be fine. You have that test tomorrow. And I don't want to be the cause of you being late."

"But..." Sam attempted to argue.

"Not buts. I'll be fine."

Sam admitted defeat. "Fine." She plonked herself down on the stool Alex had vacated moments before.

Lara grabbed her coat and bag and followed Alex and the police officer, outside. He opened the back door of the police cruiser. Alex climbed across and occupied the seat on the far side. Lara sat beside him. She reached for Alex's hand instinctively.

Alex could feel his cheeks burning at the contact.

* * *

The journey to the police station was silent except for the officer radioing the station requesting two separate interview rooms to be made ready.

When they arrived they were escorted into the building. They were brought into a small waiting area. They took seats. And waited the only sound was the ticking clock on the Wall.

"You look nervous. " Alex acknowledged. "Is something on your mind?"

"It's nothing it's just...I hate police stations." Lara admitted.

"Really? You don't seem to be the type to have in for the cops." Alex joked weakly.

"Not the police it's just...I remember being taken into a police station when I was fourteen, they told me my parents were, missing. I cried all the way home, and I locked myself in my room and cried myself to sleep."

Alex felt like an idiot. He just made light of something that clearly still clearly affected Lara. "Lara, I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault." Lara sniffed and wiped her eyes. "You didn't know."

"Do you want some coffee?" Alex said, desperate to change the subject of the conversation.

Lara nodded. "Tea, if it's not too much trouble."

"Sure. He got up and made his way over to table with the supplies needed to make hot drinks. "How do you take it?"

"Just with milk." Lara stated.

"Okay." Alex smiled.

The water in the kettle began to boil. A small stream of steam poured into the air. A small click indicated the water was ready to use. Alex poured a cup of tea for Lara and coffee for himself.

He looked towards the clock. It was only eleven thirty. It had been less than half an hour since the attempted robbery. It felt like much longer. He walked back to his chair handing Lara her tea.

"Thanks." she took a small sip and hummed in approval. "You make a great cup of tea Alex."

"I worked at a Star Bucks, over the summer a few years ago." He laughed. "I guess it just stuck."

The door swung open, the old Police Officer from the bar, stood in the doorway, behind him was a younger female officer. "Miss Croft if you'd follow me. And Mr Weiss, would you please follow Constable Cartwright to Interview room number 5.

They pair stood. They gave each other a worried look. They followed who they were told each one feeling alone when they took their seats in the interview rooms.

* * *

"Okay Miss Croft. First off, I never properly introduced myself. I'm Sergeant Ian Jones, I'll be taking your statement. He took out his pen and inserted a tape into the recorder on the desk. Would you please State your name for the Record.

Lara took a gulp of air. "My Name is Lara Croft."

"Miss Croft, would you please tell me in as much detail as you can recall the events of tonight.

Lara spoke of how the bar had been quiet that night, how Paul had groped her, and Then Declan threw him out. She said how Declan left early, leaving her in charge of the bar, how Alex arrived and helped her to revise for her upcoming exams. She stopped, not wanting to talk about the incident.

"Miss Croft, I know this can't be easy. But, we need to know what happened."

Lara Shuddered. "I was getting ready to close the bar. When, Paul came in. He was acting like he wanted to apologize. I asked him to leave but he wouldn't. Alex tried to get him to leave. But he hit, Alex. Then he pulled the gun out." tears began to well in her eyes again as she remembered looking down the barrel of the gun. "He told me to empty the til. I was cooperating. I had what I think might have been an asthma attack, I couldn't breathe, I was really scared. He threatened me, and then, He hit the floor. Alex had hit him with a bottle. Then he called the police." Lara hoped she wouldn't be asked to disclose, the details, of Alex, taking care of her.

The officer wrote everything down. "That's all the information we need. Is there anybody, we can call for you?"

Lara thought of Roth, who was in the middle of an expedition, in the middle of the Atlantic. "No, My emergency contact, is overseas."

"Very well. You may go when you're ready. You may wait on your boyfriend if you wish."

"What?...No, no. Alex isn't my boyfriend." Lara blushed.

He raised an eyebrow. "My apologies. It's just you seemed rather _attached_ to him."

Lara felt her face burning

There was a knock on the door. A young man popped his head through the door. "Excuse me sir. But Miss Croft has a visitor."

Lara sighed; she should have known Sam wouldn't listen. She rose from her chair.

* * *

Alex was pulling apart his polystyrene cup. He had just finished giving his statement.

"Thank you Mr Weiss, this should help our investigation."

"What's going to happen to him?" Alex asked, contempt was evident in his voice.

"Well it depends. He'll be charged with possession of a fire arm, assault and battery and If he's proven to be the one who committed the shooting at the take away earlier tonight, attempted murder. Either way he won't be out for long time." She informed him.

Alex thought. "Lara's goanna be glad to hear that, Mr Cheung is all right."

"I think Miss Croft is glad to have you as a Boyfriend Mr Weiss.

"Oh, no. Lara's not...I mean, we're not together." Alex stated.

"I hear a hint of disappointment in your voice." She remarked.

Alex's gaze fell to the floor. "It's that obvious huh?"

"You're free to go Mr Weiss. And far be it from my place to say, but you should at least ask her." She opened the door and held it open. Alex Rose from his seat, and made his way to the door.

Lara was lead down the hallway, to the front desk. Standing in the middle of the room, looking incredibly worried and angry, was Conrad Roth.

"Roth." Lara exclaimed and rushed past Sergeant Jones, she threw her arms around Roth. "I thought you were out at sea."

"Hello, Lara. It's nice to see you to." He said sarcastically, returning the embrace. "Long story, short; the expedition was a wild goose chase. I thought I'd surprise you. Then I show up at the Nine Bells, with an Angry Irishman, and an annoyed Sam, telling me there was a robbery."

"Surprise." Lara said weakly.

"It's not funny, Lara. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you." Roth said seriously.

"Roth, I'm fine." Lara half lied.

"Lara?" Alex voice came from across the room.

"Alex." Lara rushed over to hug him. "I felt so alone in there."

"You and me both, I actually felt like I had done something wrong."

"You shouldn't."

"Lara. Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Roth asked, after striding towards them.

"Oh, right. Roth, this is Alex. Alex, this Roth." Lara looked slightly worried. Roth was very imposing to those who didn't know him. Sam swore the first time she met him she nearly wet herself.

"It's nice to meet you sir." Alex said, extending his hand.

"So" Roth started callously. "You're the lad, who attacked, a robber with a bottle of Scotch?"

"I...yes sir." Alex said. He wasn't sure, what Roth was thinking. "I just did what I had to do."

"You, know son, I served, with Guys in the Marines, who wouldn't have reacted to a situation as quick as that." Roth said nonchalantly.

"I...Thank you?" Alex said, his words clearly a question. He wasn't sure if he was being complimented or not.

"I must buy you a drink some time." Roth suggested.

"Well, the way things are going tonight it looks like I may never need to buy another beer again." Alex joked.

Lara tried her hardest to suppress a fit of giggles. Roth noticed.

"Is there a recurring gag that I'm not getting?" Roth asked.

"It's nothing." Lara lied. Lara was about to speak again, when a loud yawn interrupted her.

"Right, home time I think." Roth said. "Alex do you need a lift? Or is someone coming to collect you?"

"No it's fine, I'll get a cab." Alex said, not wanting to impose.

"Don't be ridiculous Alex. Why pay to get back to halls, when we're going that way anyway?" Lara gave him her best puppy dog look.

"Yeah, I guess, sure. I'll take a lift." Alex agreed.

"Great. Shall we go?" Roth said turning on his heel, leading the way to the door. Lara and Alex followed.

Outside the rain hadn't stopped, It had actually gotten heavier. There were still very few people on the streets. Roth quickly led them to his car.

"Roth you really need to get a new car, this one belongs in a museum." Lara teased.

"Oh, I'm sorry princess. You're car is clearly much better." Roth said the sarcasm was clear in is voice, as he climbed into the front seat.

Alex made his way, to the back door of the car while Lara walked round. He was surprised to see when she opened the back door instead of the front passenger door. He climbed in deciding to just accept his run of good luck, while it was lasting.

"Anybody want to listen to some music?" Roth asked as the engine came to life.

"Sure." Lara reached in, to the middle glove compartment, and withdrew a stack of old cassette tapes, and began to flick through, them.

"Wow," Alex exclaimed. "I haven't seen one of those in years."

"Roth refuses to update, his collection." Lara explained. She selected a tape, and handed it to Roth, who pushed into the radio. Classic rock began to come through the car speakers in surprisingly good sound quality.

"And with good reason," Roth stated. "The crap from the charts today, isn't available of tape."

Alex considered arguing for a moment, before realising Roth had an incredibly valid point.

"So Alex, what is it you do?" Roth asked sincerely.

"I'm studying Electrical Engineering." Alex stated.

"Really?" Roth said intrigued. "You know my Technician is retiring at the start of summer. Hands on experience always looks good, on a CV, employers like to see, a man who knows how to apply himself."

"Are you offering me a job?" Alex asked shocked.

"I'm just offering an opportunity for you to consider. I'm sure you'd fit in aboard the Endurance."

"I don't know..."

"We'll be on an expedition, to Norway, for a few weeks over the summer."

Leaned over and whispered to Alex. "Alex, you should do it. It's a great opportunity."

Alex thought for a moment. He never really considered himself the sailor type, he was half afraid that he would be the type to get seasick simply by standing on a boat. Then again, it would be honest work, A big difference from hacking gambling sites. "Can I think about it?" Alex replied.

"Sure, you've got two months." Roth said pulling up at the traffic light.

* * *

The rest of the journey they discussed, the weather, class and Roth singing along with a few of the songs of the radio. Roth pulled up outside the student halls and applied the hand brake. "Fare is twenty quid." He joked.

"I'll owe you one." Lara laughed. Once again she let out a load yawn.

"Right enough. You get to bed Missy." Roth ordered.

Lara pulled the handle of the door and made a move to get out. "Oh, Roth. Lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure." He smiled. "Call me in the morning."

"Will do." Lara replied. Getting out of the car, Alex followed, both charged for the cover of the small canopy that hung over the door. It didn't stop them from getting absolutely drenched.

"I knew I should have brought an Umbrella today." Lara moaned, she took the scrunchie out of her hair, causing her wet hair to cascade around her shoulders. She bent over and began to wring her hair out.

Alex swallowed. Lara looked gorgeous with her hair loose, not that she didn't always. "You know you should wear your down more often. It really suits, you." Alex blurted out before he realized what he was saying.

"That's sweet, Alex." Lara, beamed at him. She shook her head, to loosen the strands of hair. "Maybe I'll start now." She grinned tucking the scrunchie in to her pocket.

They headed towards the elevator. Alex was about to press the button, when he spotted the 'Out of Order' sign.

"I guess, we're taking the stairs." Lara groaned.

"Do my ears, deceive me." Alex teased. "Is the out-doorsy, mountain climbing Lara Croft, complaining about exercise."

Lara giggled, "I suppose you need it after that cheeseburger." Lara swatted his stomach, she was surprised to feel how toned it felt. She quickly turned so Alex, couldn't see her blush. "Come on, I'll race you." She half ran half skipped to the door that led to the stairs.

Alex jogged after her. When he got to the door he saw that Lara had paused, At the top of the first flight of stairs. Alex smiled. "I say Miss Croft. Such behavior is very unbecoming of a young lady." He said in the poshest accent he could.

Lara giggled. As Alex arrived on the landing they began to make their way to the top floor. Lara was panting slightly when they arrived at the top floor.

"Are you all right, Lara?" Alex asked clearly concerned.

"Yeah. I haven't had a chance to go jogging for a while. I've been bogged down, by essays."

"Yeah. I know the feeling." Alex said as they arrived outside Lara's door.

Lara reached into her pocket and fished out her keys, and inserted one into the lock. She pushed the door open. But didn't enter, she turned around to face Alex again. "Thank you again, Alex. For everything."

"What, was I gonna do?" Alex asked. "Let that jackass rob you?"

Lara let out a small chuckle as she stepped inside the doorway. "Good night, Alex."

"Yeah, you too." Alex said. The door began to close. 'It's now or never, Alex.' He though. " Hey, Lara.

The door opened enough for Lara to poke her head around "Yeah?"

"I...uh...was wondering...if you know...if you don't have any plans...on Friday...if...you know..." even after everything else that had happened tonight, Alex was so nervous he couldn't even string a sentence together.

"Yes." Lara interrupted him.

"Wait...What?" Alex wasn't sure he understood her.

"Yes...I'll go out with you." Lara blushed.

"R-really?" Alex half yelled. "Okay...great. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Okay, sure." Lara agreed.

"Okay. See you...Good night." Alex, said turning to walk away, nearly tripping over his own shoelaces. He suddenly heard footsteps, as he turned he caught a glance of Lara, dashing towards him. She hopped up and planted another kiss on Alex's cheek, before rushing back into her apartment. With a small wave she was gone.

* * *

Lara shut the door, and leaned back against it, closing her eyes. Alex, asked her out, well not technically, she answered the question, before he even asked. She thought it was cute the how he acted when he was nervous, she wondered for a moment if she acted the same way around when she was confused.

"Ahem."

Lara's eyes shot open, to see a smirking Sam, standing there with her arms crossed.

"So, Alex huh?" Sam teased as Lara made her way into the kitchen.

"I don't know what you're talking." Lara said as nonchalantly, as she could.

"Sweetie, you left the door opened. I saw he whole thing." Sam pointed out.

"Oh, right." Lara realized. She poured herself a glass of water.

"You know he's crazy about you. right?"

Lara didn't answer and merely thought for a moment. She never really thought about how Alex felt before now. She had been too confused about her own feelings to consider his.

Sam hopped up to sit on one of the counters. "He's pretty cute."

"Yeah, he is." Lara admitted, she turned to face Sam, who's face contorted into an incredibly smug. "What?"

"You like him." Sam stated.

"Of course I like him. We're friends." Lara said rummaging through the fridge for a snack.

"Lara, you know what. I mean." She grinned. "You're crushing on him."

Lara turned away. "Maybe a little." Lara said, trying to avoid giving Sam too much detail. She pulled out ham and mustard. She pulled the bread out of the Bread bin, and began to make herself a sandwich.

"Come on spill." Sam demanded. "How long?"

Lara didn't want to answer but knew Sam wouldn't let up. She gave in. "I guess...since September..."

"Which September, Lara?" Sam teased.

"Freshman year." Lara admitted.

Sam's jaw dropped. "A Year and a half? All this time, both of you were crushing on each other. And neither of you made a move. You guys are a walking cliche." Sam held her hands out in front of her, in order to frame Lara and began to speak in a dramatic voice. "This summer, comes the most awe inspiring love story since Titanic. Two shockingly good looking nerds will make the discovery of each other, in a tale of Romance, books and social awkwardness. Lara Croft. And Alex Weiss. In The Date Equation."

"Okay Sam that enough." Lara laughed taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Come on. Since the Big Bang Theory came along, everyone loves nerd stuff." Sam said. "It'd be Summer hit."

"Thanks but I'd rather keep my private life private Sam."

"You know Lara, If I'd known all it took for you two to get together was Alex foiling a robbery, I could have staged on so you guys would get together sooner." Sam joked.

"SAM!" Lara yelled. "That's not funny!"

"You're right sweetie. I'm sorry, that was inappropriate." Sam said, hopping off the counter and hugging her best friend. "I'm just tired. And pissed off, that my date was cut short."

"Oh, Sam I'm so sorry." Lara sighed.

"No, Lara it's not your fault." Sam "You didn't ask to get robbed. Besides, Declan asked me out again on Saturday. So this time, I don't have to come home early."

"Great." Lara said rolling her eyes. Another loud yawn and Lara was defeated. "I'm going to bed. You better get some sleep." Lara made her way to her room.

"Okay M_om." _Sam said mockingly following Lara down the hall. Both turned into their rooms."Good night, Lara."

"Night, Sam." Lara said, pulling her door closed. Behind her. She changed into her pajamas and crawled under the sheets. Alex was the last thought on her mind before she succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Alex shut the door as he entered his apartment. The TV was on. His roommate, Jack and several other guys, were watching football highlights. All yelling in unison to the goals being scored.

Jack turned on the couch to see Alex in the small kitchen area. "You're back late," He noticed Alex's happy state. "What happened."

"Oh, you know...stuff." Alex said simply not wanting to discuss what had happened He got along well with Jack, but his friends were another story.

"Jesus. What happened to your face." Jack said noticing the band aid. He got up and made his way over to the kitchen.

"Bar fight." Alex shrugged taking an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table.

"You were in a bar fight?" one of the boys called over.

"Yeah. He was fighting a table and lost." Another mocked.

"All right that's enough." Jack warned them. "Seriously, what happened? I mean you look way too happy for a guy who was just in a bar fight. So come on."

"You'd believe me."

"Come on mate. Tell me." Jack pleaded.

Alex yawned, "Maybe in the morning. I'm really tired. And I've got a lecture first thing in the morning." He began to head out of the kitchen.

Jack decided against arguing. "All right." He said making his way back to the couch.

"I'll see you in the morning." Alex called as he made his way to his room. Thankfully the walls were thick, so he had quiet. He quickly got into bed and gazed at the ceiling, trying to brainstorm ideas fro what he should do with Lara, for their date that Friday. He soon drifted off to sleep, thinking of Lara.

* * *

So I really don't know where I'm going with this story. I guess I'll just right as it comes. I hope you enjoyed.


	3. Mealtime Conversation

So the title of this chapter is pretty dumb but, it's all I could think of that seemed to fit.

* * *

Lara padded down the hall into the kitchen. She glanced at the clock, told her it was nine o'clock. She didn't have any classes today, but she had a shift in the book store at half past one. She contemplated calling in sick after what had happened the night before. She decided against it, she needed the money.

She set about making breakfast. She poured two bowls of cereal; she left one on the table with a plate covering it. She poured milk into her own, and made her way over to the couch. She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on She flicked through the channels; seeing an old Tom and Jerry cartoon she put down the remote; she settled into the couch and ate her breakfast.

Half an hour later, Sam appeared, she spotted Lara sitting on the couch. "Aren't you a little old for cartoons?" Sam teased. She liked them just as much as her friend; however it was fun to make fun of the serious and mature Lara, for indulging in childish behaviour.

Lara didn't reply to that comment "Your breakfast is on the table." She called over. "You'll need the energy for the test."

"Sweetie you didn't have to make me breakfast." Sam said

"You're welcome." Lara replied. "You have that exam in an hour and it takes you forever just pour a bowl of cereal."

Sam picked up her bowl and made her way into the living room.

Sam sat down on the couch, with her bowl. She yawned before taking a spoonful. "So," Sam said with her mouth full. "Has, Alex called yet?"

"Sam, it's not a big deal." Lara said finally looking away from the TV.

"Uh-huh. Is that why you were the colour of a tomato last night?" Sam mocked.

"Sam." Lara moaned. "It's just one date."

"Exactly! One date leads to more. I mean sometimes. I've been on dates that only lead to dinner being dumped on a guys lap." Sam giggled.

Lara sighed, muting the TV and turned to face Sam. "Sam, I really don't want to make it the hot topic today."

"But, Lara this is a big deal." Sam said. "I've been trying since boarding school to get you a boyfriend."

"Sam, first off. You've never kept a boyfriend for more than three weeks, so you're hardly qualified to set anyone up." Lara told her teasingly "Second he's not my boyfriend." Lara blushed. "We haven't even gone out yet. I want this to stay between us for now."

"Ah." Sam suddenly looked incredibly guilty. Lara noticed this and felt her stomach twist.

"Sam? What did you do?" Lara asked.

"I'm sorry." She began to cringe in preparation for the oncoming lecture.

"Sam...Sam, you didn't...?" Lara said now thinking of what Sam possibly could have done.

"I...kinda...did...yeah." Sam winced.

Lara took out her phone, and logged into the first social networking site she could think of. Her jaw fell open when she found what Sam had written.

_Lara's finally letting her hair down (Literally). She's got a date this Friday with Alex Weiss. You all know Alex right? The dashing American Nerd (Sorry ladies, he's off the table.) All my years of hard work have paid off. She's finally ditched her shell. :)_

If Lara knew Sam, this was on every social networking site Sam was a member of. In other words, she had told everyone.

Lara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sam, I'm going to kill you." She whispered.

The sudden sound of the door slamming caught Lara's attention. She hopped over the couch and bolted for the door. She pulled the door open and looked down the hall. She caught sight of Sam, barging through two maintenance men, who were clearly there to fix the elevator. She dashed through the door to the stairs and disappeared.

Lara slammed the door, and made her way back to the couch. She flopped back down on the couch and grumbled to herself. "At least she won't be late." She said trying to see a bright side.

She turned the volume up on the TV, but she couldn't focus on it. How would Alex react when he saw it? She didn't want him to think she was gossiping to Sam.

The phone buzzed. Lara answered it without hesitation. "Hello?"

"Good Morning, Lara." Roth's voice came from the speaker.

"Good morning, Roth." Lara replied.

"I was wondering where and when you wanted to meet for Lunch today."

Lara had completely forgotten she had arranged to meet Roth for lunch. "Well I've got to work at one. There's a café just off campus, that's down the street from the book shop I'm working at. Is twelve a good time?"

"Lara, why don't you just call in sick? You went through quite an ordeal." Roth said his voice full of concern.

"I thought about it, but I need the money." Lara said.

Lara heard Roth sigh over the phone. He knew Lara, was touchy on the subject of her inheritance, but he was also proud of Lara, for choosing to make her own way in Life. So he decided to go back to the original topic "That café sounds good. What's the name of the place?"

"It's called, Mark's Bistro." Lara told him. She often thought the name was too grand; given it was only a small corner café. "Do you need directions?

"No I'll find it. I'm in the area anyway. I need to buy a present for...a friend." Roth said coyly.

"Okay great." Lara said. I'll see you then."

"All right, Lara. See you then." A small beep indicated that Roth had hung up.

Lara got up and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

The sun was shining as Alex made his way out of the lecture hall. He had over slept and missed breakfast. His stomach grumbled.

He made his way over to the small café, just off the campus grounds. Taking a seat at a seat, he glanced at the menu. A young waitress made her way over to his table a few minutes later.

"Hi. What can I get you?" she asked withdrawing a notebook from the pocket at the front of her apron.

"Hello. I'll just take a turkey sandwich and some coffee please." Alex said handing her his menu.

"Sure thing." She smiled, heading back towards the kitchen.

Alex took out his phone and began to play, one of the games he had downloaded. They definitely weren't as fun as his console games, but they killed time while he was waiting. Suddenly the sound of the seat opposite him scraping the ground caught his attention. Looking up he saw his roommate.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked grinning.

"It's kinda redundant asking. You already have." Alex said. "What are you smiling about?"

"Oh, I'm just kind of shocked." Jack said. Alex could tell he was trying to get Alex to ask him.

"Okay...why are you shocked?" Alex asked.

"Well, for one thing I didn't know you were such a stud." Jack said pointing at Alex.

"Jack, are you coming onto me? " Alex asked. "I mean if you're gay I'm fine with that, but I'm not so..."

Jack's looked offended "No idiot. I'm talking about you pulling Croft."

"Wait...how...Where did you hear about that?" Alex was surprised. He didn't think she would have told anyone.

"Everyone knows man. Look." Jack said holding up his phone.

Alex stared at the screen. "Sam." Alex muttered. His food arrived; he thanked the waitress, though he suddenly wasn't hungry.

"You, know this is a good thing." Jack said.

"How so?" Alex asked nibbling the end of the roll.

"Well for one. All the girls who found you cute because of your accent will now stop trying to get your attention. So I've got more date prospects." He laughed. "And, you are now going to be the most famous guy here in Uni."

"What?" Alex had no idea what Jack was getting at.

"You tamed Lara Croft. _The _Lara Croft, the fittest doll at school. Everyone has asked her out, everyone was turned down." He said as though giving an awards speech. "But she said yes, to _you_." he pointed. "You are the man now Alex."

Alex could see that Jack was expressing the pride that he believed Alex should be expressing. "You think Lara was just some conquest for me?"

"No. I know that's not how you think of it anyway." Jack replied. "But that's pretty much what it is. Every guy in school has asked her out, and a few of the girls have as well." Jack grinned. "Everyone was beginning to think she was...uh...what do you call it when you're not into boys or girls?"

"Asexual?" Alex asked.

"Yeah that's it." Jack slapped the table. "You see, that's probably why she picked you. You're smart. You know stuff."

Alex shook his head. He knew Lara probably only agreed to go out with him on a knee jerk reaction. He did ask her out after a pretty rough ordeal. He felt as though he kicked her while she was down. But she kissed him twice, on the cheek but still, she chose to do it, she practically ran after him to deliver one.

"Speak of the devil." Jack said, snapping Alex out of his thoughts. Alex turned to see Lara sitting at a table; she was sipping a cup that Alex presumed was tea. Occupying the seat opposite to her was Roth. "Looks like you've got competition." Jack said.

"No, that's Roth...He's her legal guardian...I think." Alex didn't know why he was so shocked to see Lara here. He heard Lara make plans to go out to Lunch with Roth the night before.

"He's a scary looking bastard." Jack observed. "Good luck getting his approval." Jack got up and left.

Alex grumbled. He made a mental note to kill Sam.

* * *

Lara flicked through the menu. She couldn't decide on what to have. She was still pretty mad at Sam.

"You seem quiet today." Roth said not looking up from his own menu.

"I'm fine." Lara lied. "So what's in the bag?" she indicated the gift bag Roth had brought with him, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Oh no, you're not changing the subject." Roth said. "Are you still shaken from last night?"

"What...no I...It's something Sam did." Lara replied not really wanting to divulge Sam revealing details of her date with Alex. Dating wasn't something she ever discussed with Roth.

It hadn't ever been applicable until now. Lara remembered Roth trying to give her _The Talk_ when she was 14. He was acting really awkward about it. He was relieved when Lara simply told him she had gotten a book out of the library. Since then dating or anything related to it had never been applicable to Lara, so they never talked about it.

"What was it this time?" Roth asked. "Did she leave her dishes lying around?"

"No it...it's private." Lara said. She knew Roth didn't use social networking sites. She knew Roth wouldn't find out about it.

Roth shrugged. He knew Lara well enough to know when she didn't want to talk she wouldn't. "Fair enough. But maybe you should stop sulking, before lover boy sees you." He joked.

Lara's eyes widened."I...what...what do you mean?"

"Lara, I'm not blind. I saw how you were acting with that lad last night. I haven't seen you hug something that tight since that stuffed giraffe you had as a child." He laughed.

"But...I" Lara began.

"He's right there, at that table." Roth pointed.

Lara glanced over to where Roth was indicating. Sure enough Alex was there, his roommate, Jack was there with there with him. She saw Jack hold up his phone to Alex, Alex stared for a minute before slouching. She came to the conclusion that Alex had seen what Sam had written. She looked away quickly.

"_Lara Croft_. Are you blushing?"Roth asked rhetorically. He didn't even make an attempt to hide the laughter in his voice.

Lara hid her face behind her menu and moaned. This was just too awkward.

Feeling satisfied with the embarrassment he caused Lara to feel, he went back to the menu. "The soup looks good." he said nonchalantly as if nothing had just happened.

Lara was pretty sure her face was the colour of a beetroot. She didn't think she could face Alex right now, but at the same time she wanted to. She began argue with herself mentally, whether or not she should go over to Alex, however before she made up her mind, Alex got up and left. She sighed and placed her order.

* * *

Alex finished his food; he tucked the money under the plate and made his way out of the café. He decided against going to talk to Lara. He didn't want to come off as desperate, or a stalker, especially not with Roth there. Alex made his way to the tube station. Sam's little stunt was getting him looks of admiration from the some of the people he passed. Some of the girls were, giving him sullen looks.

His anger was gone. He realized that Sam, never meant for this to happen, and most likely did it on impulse. It wasn't the first time she had let secrets out, but it was the first time they didn't involve her.

He descended into the station. Taking a seat on a bench he took out his laptop and made use of the free Wi-fi. He began to think what he and Lara should do. His original plans were now, scrapped as he didn't want to be anywhere too public. He looked up from, the screen, and tried to think. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glance of Sam.

He got up from his spot, and made his way over to where she was sitting. She was sitting with her legs crossed, her eyes were closed and her head tilted back, headphones were in her ears blocking out the sound of the station.

Alex leaned over and tapped her shoulder. Startled, her eyes flew open, and she jolted forward. "Wha...I'm awake." She yelled, tugging her headphones out, she caught sight of Alex, "Uh oh."

"Hi, Sam. You mind if I join you?" Alex asked sincerely.

"Yeah," Sam answered the guilt was obvious in her voice. "Knock yourself out."

"Thanks." He sat down beside her.

Sam tried as best she could to not make eye contact. "I guess you saw what I wrote huh?"

"Yeah, I saw it." Alex replied his tone was unreadable.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to. I wrote it last night. It's not Lara's fault, she left the door open, and I was eavesdropping and I know I shouldn't have been, but I was tired. And I was just so happy for Lara...and you. I know you've had a crush on her and..." Sam was talking so fast that she was struggling for air.

"Sam, relax. I'm not mad." Alex cut across her like a saw.

"Wait...you're not?" Sam was relieved. "That's a relief. Because you know, Lara threatened to kill me."

"I'm sure it was just a spur of the moment." Alex said. "You're probably fine now."

"Yeah, Lara usually cools down, pretty quick." Sam said. "But I'm still locking my door tonight."

Alex laughed. A group of boys passed them, they began cheering for Alex. "Man, I hate this."

"I'm sorry Alex." Sam said genuinely "What if I could make it up to both of you?" Sam asked. "I know Lara, doesn't want this date to be public, and I know you want to make the date special."

"What are you getting at Sam?" Alex asked.

"Dr James Whitman is appearing at the Natural History Museum this Friday. Lara has read all of his books."

Alex thought for a minute. "That's...actually really good idea."

"I swear I won't tell anyone." Sam said, "Not even Lara. You can tell her it was your idea. Oh and Pizza is Lara's favourite food. I know a great place she likes to eat, that's close to the museum. It's called Ezio's."

"All right, thanks. I've been trying to think something she'd like." Alex admitted. "I was gonna take her bowling but...I thought it was kinda dumb."

"Actually, Lara loves bowling." Sam informed him, "That's your second date." Sam winked.

"If there even ends up even being a second date." Alex said, slouching into his seat.

"Oh there will be, Lara's a lot fonder of you than you think." Sam smiled.

"What?" Alex said sitting bolt upright. Lara liked him back?

"Oops. Nothing. Fuck, I am such a blabber mouth. Ignore me. Well my train is here, I gotta go,bye ." She stood up and made her way to the middle of the platform and the arriving train. She was shocked when Alex stood as well.

"We live in the same building. Remember?" Alex stated.

Sam sighed. "Please don't tell Lara I blabbed. I'm in enough trouble as is."

"Don't worry I won't." Alex reassured her.

"Thanks." She smiled.

* * *

Lara walked through the door. Sam looked over the couch, and with a small "Eep!" ran down the hall.

"Sam, I'm not going to kill you!" Lara called after her. "I'm too tired!" She yelled before flopping down face first into the couch. Lara could hear Sam, slowly making her way back into the area. A few minutes later, she heard the sound of two pieces of glass coming into contact.

Lara looked up to see a steaming mug of tea on the small table at the side of the couch. "Rough day at work?" Sam asked.

"Thanks." Lara said, lifting her tea. "It was just exhausting. Frank called in sick so I had to unload the new shipment of books on my own.

"Why didn't you call in sick?" Sam asked. "I would have."

"Rent's due next week." Lara stated. "I can't be late with payments again."

They sat in silence for a moment before Sam decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry about what I wrote." Sam said sitting on the coffee table.

"No Sam, I'm sorry, I overreacted." Lara said. "I know you were just happy for me."

"That doesn't excuse anything." Sam replied. "I should have had more respect for your privacy."

"Sam, really it's fine. People were gonna find out anyway." Lara reassured leaning back into the couch. "I just thought it would be more...low key."

Sam frowned. "You know...I talked to Alex." Sam said. "He told me a little about what he had planned."

"Sam, please don't tell me you told him his plans were stupid." Lara moaned.

"Lara, let me finish." Sam told her. "Even if I thought they were stupid, it's not my opinion that matters. Anyway, you'll really like what he's got planned."

Lara was intrigued. "Really?"

"Yeah, but it's a surprise." Sam said. "See I can keep my mouth shut."

Lara laughed. "Thank you, Sam." Her phone began to ring. She looked at the display, Alex's name was there.

Sam peeked at the screen. "I'll give you some privacy." She got up and walked to her room.

Lara waited until she heard the door click before she answered. "Hello."

"Hey, Lara." Alex's voice came.

"Hi, Alex." she replied, she felt slightly awkward.

"So, Sam caused quite a stir today." Alex said.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left the door open." Lara said.

"Nah, It's my fault. I should have asked more privately." Alex told her.

There was silence for a moment before both of them started laughing.

"Listen about Friday." Alex started. "We're still on right? Because if you want to cancel, I understand."

"No, be ridiculous. Why would I want to cancel?" Lara answered, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"Well, If your day has been like mine then I'm pretty sure, you've been getting a lot of unwanted attention." Alex said truthfully "We could reschedule and wait til this all blows over."

Lara laughed. "Well some girl accused me of stealing you." She could hear Alex sniggering on the opposite end of the phone. "No, I don't care about what anyone says."

"Great." Alex said sounding relieved. "Oh, one more thing. I was just wondering what time you're classes finish on Friday."

"My last class finishes at three." Lara confirmed.

"That's perfect. We have to be there at six." Alex said. "So I figure we should get the train around five.

"Do I get any hints?" Lara teased. Sam, had peaked her curiosity. And the mention of needing to catch a train meant some travel, which suited her. Lara never understood how the other students, planned dates at the pub across the street.

"Sorry, it's a secret." Alex told her.

"No, fair." Lara feigned a tantrum.

"Trust me it's worth the wait. Listen. I gotta go. I have an essay to write."

"Okay. I'll talk you later then?" Lara asked.

"Yeah. Of course." Alex said. "We have class together tomorrow."

"Yeah. Maybe we can compare notes on the gossip we hear about us." Lara joked.

"Yeah, that should be fun." Alex chuckled. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Okay bye." Lara pressed the button to disengage the call. She slumped into the couch.

Sam came padding up the hall. "You know you were only the length of the hallway apart." She laughed. "Hey, Lara?"

Lara had already fallen asleep. Sam groaned having wasted her joke. She picked up the phone to order take out.


	4. Pest Control

Sam jolted awake at the sound of the door being slammed. "Wha...who...?" She sat bolt upright and looked at Lara, who was standing by the door. "Oh, hey Lara."

"I thought that might wake you." Lara laughed. "Hangover?" she asked making her way into the kitchen

"What? No...just tired." Sam yawned. She stood up and joined Lara in the kitchen.

"You know Sam, Bears don't sleep as much as you do." Lara informed her taking a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"Yes, but bears don't know the exhasution of being fabulous twenty four seven." Sam said, giving a small twirl.

"Okay, fair point." Lara chuckled.

"So, why did you wake me?" Sam enquired, "I was having the best dream ever."

"I need your help." Lara admitted sheepishly.

"Why, what's the matter sweetie?" Sam asked. "Is it about you're date tonight?"

"Yes," Lara took a deep breath. "I need your help to pick out something to wear." Lara said quickly.

Sam's eyes widened. "Lara Croft. Are you asking for fashion advice?" She grinned.

"Sam, I just want to look nice for tonight." Lara blushed.

"Oh...Sweetie, you _are _a girl." Sam squealed, wrapping Lara in a hug. "I was beginning to doubt it."

Lara rolled her eyes. "Sam, will you help me out or not."

"Right, yeah. Come on." Sam grabbed Lara's hand and dragged her to her room. Lara sat down on her bed, while Sam flung open the doors to her wardrobe. "Okay, let's see what we've got to work with." She began taking items out and throwing them onto the bed, commenting on each one. "No. No. No. Definitely not. Maybe. Ooh, this is nice." Sam said holding out a navy blue, skirt, that came, half way down the thigh. "I didn't even know you owned a skirt."

"It's a little, cold for a skirt today Sam." Lara said.

"Lara, its England." Sam reminded her. "It's always too cold. So that's not an excuse that's going to work. So this is a maybe." She tossed the skirt into the 'Maybe' pile. She then turned her attention to the chest of drawers next to the wardrobe "How about these?" Sam teased pulling out a pair of cotton short shorts.

"Sam, those are my gym shorts." Lara stated. Not even bothering to explain why they weren't suitable.

"Okay, fine." Sam pouted. "What about these?" she asked reaching into the drawer.

"No Yoga pants either Sam." Lara answered before Sam could even pull them out.

Sam scoffed and immediately threw them into the 'No' pile. She began to pull out T shirts to see what she had to work with. "Hey, I remember this." Sam smiled, pulling out a top.

The top was a gift Sam, had got her for Christmas when they were in boarding school. It had a picture of a cartoon dog on it, wearing a fedora, with the caption, 'Indiana Bones'. "Most adorable archaeologist ever." Sam sniggered.

Lara laughed. "It's a bit childish for tonight."

"All right moving on." Sam said slyly tossing it into the 'Maybe' pile.

A few minutes later, after Lara had insisted on putting everything Sam said no to back in to the wardrobe and drawers. They sat looking on the possible choices.

"So, what do you think?" Lara asked.

"Well." Sam began. "We can to mix and match to see what suits. So you know what that means." She grinned and pulled out her phone. The song, 'Walking on Sunshine' began to blare from the speakers.

"NO!" Lara yelled. "I'm not doing a fashion montage, Sam."

Sam pouted and turned off the music. "Killjoy."

Lara stuck out her tongue in response.

"Okay how about, I try to match the best outfit." Sam suggested. "You take a shower, and then we'll decide on how you're going to wear your hair."

"My hair?" Lara asked gobsmacked. "What's wrong with my hair?" she ran her hair through her long, choppy locks.

"Oh sweetie, you've got great hair." But once in a while you've just to spend more time styling it that it takes to tie a ponytail.

"But..." Lara began.

"No 'buts', Lara." Sam said sternly. "If you want my help with the outfit, you want my help with the hair."

Lara's jaw hung open. Sam was normally so laid back. But now she was acting like a General. "Okay, fine."

"Great." Sam smiled suddenly reverting back to her normal bubbly personality. "Enjoy your shower." She said getting up and pushing Lara out of the room. "I have work to do." She slammed the door shut, making Lara jumped a little.

"Sam, you can't order me out of my own room." Lara called through the door.

"It's not your room right now, Sweetie." Sam yelled back. "It's my workshop."

Lara groaned. "Just don't break anything!" Lara shouted.

"Come on Lara." Sam assured her. "You know me better than that." though Lara clearly heard something rip.

"That's the problem." Lara moaned. Sam didn't respond. Lara gave up and headed to the shower.

* * *

Alex was sitting in the living room. He was pretending to watch TV, but he was deep in thought. Jack was sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

"You look nervous." Jack observed.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Alex snapped sarcastically. I hadn't noticed.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure you can't screw up too badly." Jack laughed. "You're not chickening out are you?" Jack asked.

"What...no. Why would I chicken out?" Alex asked him.

"No reason...except that, there's people that don't want this date to go so smoothly for you."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Jack started. "For starters, a couple of the guys are more jealous than the others and are trying to make fail in a kind of 'if she won't go out with me, she won't go out with anyone' kind of way. Like Pete and Derek." Jack said.

Alex blinked. He had been expecting some people to react negatively, but this was a little too much. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. But better still, a couple of the girls are intent on making you the prize, of a catfight with Lara as the defending champion. Honestly though, I think that would be amazing."

"What girls?" Alex asked almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Well there's Janet, Nancy, Emma and Nadine to name a few." Jack listed. "Oh and Simone."

"Oh, no." Alex groaned and flopped back into the couch "It's worse than I thought." This was going to be a disaster. Pete and Derek, got along well with Alex, so anything they did would probably just be some juvenile prank. And the girls were all somewhat friendly with Lara, so there it was probably just speculation. Simone however was another story.

Simone was beautiful; there was no doubt about it. She had long flowing blonde hair, and always flaunted her beauty, with expensive designer clothing. She played the innocent card as much as she could, which only worked on those who were oblivious to her true nature.

Her father was a politician of some sort, and her family was wealthy. So like most people who grew up in political families she had a sense of entitlement and believed everything was hers to take. And anything she couldn't buy, she used sex to get. She had a reputation for sleeping around, and she took pride in it. She used sex as a weapon to get what she wanted. She was intent on making anyone, who had something she wanted, suffer for it. And when she decided she didn't want it anymore, she dropped it like a bag of rocks.

The reason Simone, was a problem, was because Alex turned her down, repeatedly. She 'chose' Alex, Expecting him to fall head over heels, and feel privileged that she liked him. He never liked her. She reminded him of one of those, stereotype blondes, you see in one of those movies, with no personality or character traits other than, being rich and beautiful. After finding out Alex was going out with Lara, she had upped her efforts she even spent, the previous day, following Alex.

"I don't believe this." Alex muttered. He knew for a fact she would try to follow them.

A knock at the door, caught Alex's attention. Jack got up to answer it. The door swung open to reveal Sam. "Hi Sam." Jack smiled.

"Hey, Jack. I really need to talk to Alex." She said urgently, barging past him.

"Come, on in." Jack said, redundantly shutting the door behind her.

Alex turned to see Sam making her way over to the couch. "Hey Sam, something wrong?"

"That all depends." She said, sitting in the chair beside the couch, she peered over at Jack. "Jack, could you give us a moment?"

Jack stood there with his jaw hanging open. He was being ordered around his own house. "I uh...I."

"Jack? Do you mind?" Alex directed at his roommate apologetically.

Jack wandered down the hall to his room, gobsmacked. As soon as she heard the door click, Sam spoke again. "Okay, I don't have a lot of time. Lara's in the shower, and I have to get back before she's out."

Alex was slightly amused with how flustered she was. "Okay...why?"

"I'm trying to, organize Lara's outfit for tonight." She said. "I was wondering if you have any preference."

"I...no...not really." Alex said, he had called the museum to see if there was a dress code, for the event tonight. Luckily there wasn't because he didn't really have any formal wear. Either way, he was more interested in trying to figure a way to throw Simone, off their trail.

Sam sensed that Alex, was distressed. "Nervous." She teased. "I know Lara is fussy Alex, but she wouldn't have agreed to go out with you if she didn't like you."

"It's not that...I..." Alex wasn't sure, if she should tell Sam. He knew Sam, didn't like Simone. There had been a very famous incident, at a nightclub a few months ago, that resulted in Sam, tearing out some of Simone's hair. "I might have a problem."

"Are you sick? Because, I know for a fact Lara didn't throw away Nurse Costume, I got her for Halloween when we were in boarding school. Might, be a bit tight, though." Sam winked.

"No, I'm not sick. It's a pretty serious problem."

Sam, looked concerned. "Did someone die?" Sam asked "I know Lara will understand if you need to reschedule."

"No, nothing like _that_, it's just...Simone apparently wants to try and bust up my date with Lara." Alex suddenly blurted out.

Sam's expression changed. Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared "Oh, Hell no." She hissed through gritted teeth.

"I know for a fact she's going to try and follow us." Alex admitted. "She, was stalking me yesterday."

Sam suddenly got an idea. "Hang on." She pulled out her phone and began, to type.

"Sam. What are you doing?" Alex asked.

"One sec." She said. "There." She put her phone back in her pocket, "Now everyone knows you're going to the museum."

"SAM!" Alex yelled. This was just going to make it easier for Simone to follow.

"I'm sorry, but the British Museum isn't doing very, well. They could do with a few more customers."

"Sam I can't believe...wait...Tthe British Museum?" Alex asked "That's...the opposite way from, the Natural History Museum." Alex suddenly realized Sam had sent her the wrong way.

Sam tapped the side of her nose. "Well I better get back." Sam said, rising from her seat. "Lara should be nearly done." She left without another word.

Alex sat in shock for a moment. He let out a small laugh.

* * *

Lara, stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in her robe. She knocked the door, to her room, "Sam, can I come back in yet?"

"Yep, come on in." She called back. Lara opened the door to find Sam, sitting on the edge of her bed. "So, what do you think?" Sam said indicating to her handy work. Lara walked over to examine, the selection.

Sam, had taken chosen a pair of black slim fit jeans, she had artfully, frayed and ripped them in several places. She had chosen a long sleeved baby, circular neck, blue sweater dress. Sam had bought it for her, Lara had only ever tried it on once. It hugged her figure nicely, but it was still think enough to allow her to maintain her modesty. And lastly she had chosen a pair of brown buckle boots that came half way to Lara's knee.

"It looks great, Sam." Lara admitted. "But don't you think it's a little...plain?"

"It's not what you wear Lara. It's how you wear it." Sam stated. "And just remember Alex is going to think you're hot no matter what." Sam told her reassuringly.

"Okay, Sam. I trust you." She said.

""Trust well placed." Sam said, moving to the door." Now you get dressed and, I'll come back to do your hair, In a few minutes."

"Okay fine." Lara groaned.

Sam smiled and closed the door. "Oh, and you better put on makeup." Sam called through the door.

Lara laughed, there was a common misconception that Lara never wore makeup, truth of the matter was, she just never used that much, she wasn't oblivious to her looks, she just didn't like to flaunt them, no matter how much Sam encouraged her too.

Sam walked to the living room and took out her phone. She checked the message she left. People had started commenting, and liking it. Her plan was working. Simone would fall for this ruse, hook, line and sinker. "Perfect." She smirked. A sly thought Sam's mind "But why settle for just perfect." She dialled a number and waited for it to answer.

"Hello?" A male voice came from the other side of the phone.

"Hi, Declan." Sam said flirtatiously.

"Oh, hey Sam." Declan replied. "How are you?"

"I'm just peachy." Sam told him. "Listen, I need a favour. Are you working tonight?

"Uh...No, Stephen and Kerry-Anne are minding the bar tonight." Declan told her.

"Great. I need your help, to help Lara."

"Why what's wrong?" Declan asked. "Is she in trouble?"

"Kind of. It's a girl problem. I'll tell you later." Sam explained. "Plus it'll give us another chance on that ruined date."

Sam could hear the smile in his voice. "All right. You've got my attention."

* * *

A few minutes later, Sam made her way back to Lara's room. She had a can of styling mousse, a hair dryer and a curling iron in her hands. Sam knocked on the door. "You finished Lara?" she yelled through the door."

"Yeah." Lara yelled back.

Sam opened the door. Lara had dressed. She was sitting in front of the mirror, putting on eye liner.

"Lookin' good, sweetie." Sam teased. "If this is the effort you put into a casual date, I can't wait to see what you do for a serious one."

Lara rolled her eyes. "Let's just focus on the first date for now."

"Okay, fine." Sam winked. She sat down on the bed. "Now,hair." Sam commanded.

"Gimme a sec, Sam." Lara said, grabbing a tube of pink lip gloss. She began to apply it, puckering her lips slightly.

"Anyone would think you actually enjoy wearing makeup." Sam said mockingly."

"Okay, Sam. Enough." Lara said rolling her eyes again and putting down the lip gloss she pulled she sleeves down. "Let's just get this over with."

Sam came over plugged in the hair dryer and the curling iron. She poured a large gob of mousse into her hand. "Now, just relax." Sam assured her as she began to put the mouse through her hair.

Lara sat patiently as Sam, worked. She never really wore her hair down. It wasn't that she didn't like it. She was just always too busy. But she had to admit, she liked what Sam, was doing. She had dried her hair, just enough to make all of her layers visible, she then proceeded to , use the curling iron to curl the tips of her hair, leaving it straight at the top. Sam suddenly stopped. She held her hand out to Lara.

"What?" Lara asked.

"Scrunchie." Sam demanded. "And don't even think about lying, Lara. I know you always have at least one." Lara, did have one. She had planned on using it, but after seeing what Sam, had done, she had changed her mind. She handed it over without argument. "Thank you." Sam then picked up the hair dryer to finish drying Lara's hair.

"And, Tah-dah." Sam said. "What do you think?"

Lara was gobsmacked. She never spent more than the few seconds it took to brush her hair and tie it up, to style her hair. But she was now contemplating spending more time on it. "I love it, Sam. Really, I do. Thank you." She said getting up and hugging her best friend.

"Anytime," Sam told her. "You're gonna knock Alex dead."

The pair made their way, to the living room. Sam immediately picked up her jacket and bag, she made made her way to the door. "Have a good time, Lara."

"Wait, where are you going?" Lara asked.

"Oh, I got a call while you were in the shower." Sam lied. "Long story short, I gotta go. Good luck." she said, before leaving.

"But..." Lara began. But Sam was already gone.

Lara flopped down into the couch. She looked at the clock. Alex was supposed to come over in fifteen minutes. The room was silent. Lara could hear each tick of the clock. She turned on the TV to break the silence. She didn't pay attention to what was on. It was merely a distraction.

Lara couldn't take anymore; she got up and made her way to the door. She grabbed her coat off the hook and wrenched the door open revealing Alex his hand in the position to knock, startling Lara. "Hi." She said timidly.

"Hi." Alex replied "Sorry I'm late." Alex apologized. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a red check shirt, and white t-shirt. He had dark blue jeans on that were faded at the knees. He had also combed his hair and shaved.

Lara raised an eyebrow. "But you're not late." Lara informed him. She pointed to the clock.

Alex checked his watch and his phone, neither of them matched with the clock. Lara checked her own phone, which didn't match either. "I guess we agree to disagree." Alex laughed.

"Okay, sure." Lara giggled. The pair stood in silence for a moment.

"You look amazing." Alex blurted out.

"Thanks." Lara blushed. "So do you. Although," Lara reached her hand out and ruffled Alex's hair "You look much more handsome with messy hair."

Alex was gobsmacked. "Should we go?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Alex said. The pair made their way to elevator. The door pinged open, and both entered, they both awkwardly reached for the 'Ground Floor' button at the same time each one picking an opposite wall.

"So," Lara began. "Do I get to know where we're going?"

"Not quite yet, it's a surprise." Alex reminded her.

"You sure know how to build suspense." Lara teased him. "Have you ever thought about becoming a writer?"

"I actually do write a bit." Alex blurted out.

Lara looked quizzically at him. "Really? What kind of things do you write?"

"Never mind, forget I said anything."

"Come one, tell me." Lara practically begged.

"I...no...it's stupid." Alex said staring at the floor.

"Alex, you should never care what anybody thinks about you do. I'd never do anything at that rate of going." Lara said. "I promise I won't laugh."

"Okay, good point...I like to write...poetry and short stories." Alex admitted.

"Really? Anything I might have read?" Lara asked.

"I doubt it...most of it's...Fan fiction." He whispered the last word.

"Seriously?" Lara asked sincerely. "That's pretty cool."

"Wait...really?"

"Yeah, I've...actually written a couple myself." Lara informed him sheepishly.

"I...never took you for the type." Alex said.

"Yeah, I wrote them when I was younger. Just fun random things, like...one time I wrote an Indiana Jones story, and he was in a temple looking for a powerful artifact. And he got chased, by Lions, and he set of spear traps and the temple started to collapse. And when he finally got out, he examined the artefact more closely, and he found 'Made In China' stamped into the bottom." Lara briefly explained the plot. She laughed a bit.

Alex laughed. "Okay_ that_ is hilarious."

"What about you? What kind of stories have you written?"

"Well stupid stuff like, I once wrote a Star Wars story, where Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are standing the length of a room apart, both have their light sabers drawn. Then Luke suddenly pulls out a blaster and shoots at Vader, who deflects it back to Luke, who then knocks it back again, over and over until Luke misses and it goes into the wall. Over at the side C3-PO says 'Fifteen-Love.'"

"That is too funny." Lara laughed. "Light Sabre Tennis."

* * *

They reached the ground floor. Luckily no one was there, as they would have seen Lara and Alex, laughing like a pair of Hyenas. They made their way out side.

They made their way to the local tube station. They waited for the train. Commuters were rushing in and out of trains like waves.

"This is our train, Lara." Alex said, indicating the oncoming train. He noticed many people were standing up to get on, and looking through the windows of the train, there were already many people already on the train.

"Looks, like a mosh pit." Lara laughed.

They made their way over to the tracks, getting as close to the train as they dared. The train pulled to a stop and the people poured out. The pair dashed inside the now considerably emptier train. They were lucky enough to secure a pair of seats side by side, before any of the other passengers filled up the remaining seats.

"It feels like a mosh pit too." Alex laughed.

The train lurched forward and slowly pulled out of the station. It began to pick up momentum and sped off to its destination.

* * *

Simone was strutting through the British museum. The place was empty save for a small group of senior citizens and a few students. She had seen Sam's post, and was intent on making sure Lara and Alex's date interrupted. She didn't like it when people 'took' things from her.

"Excuse me miss." A voice came from behind her. Simone turned to see the elderly curator. "I'm afraid the museum is closing."

"What?" Simone asked. "I...thought you were open late tonight." Simone asked forcing politeness into her voice.

"Oh, no I'm afraid not dear. The museum always closes at this time." The man whispered, his graying mustache drooped as he frowned. "You may look around for another ten minutes, but then I'll have to ask you to leave." He turned and made his way out of the large room.

Simone was gobsmacked. She quickly made her way around the museum to see if she could find Lara and Alex. As the minutes ticked away, she grew more and more frustrated. They weren't there. She stomped outside, her heels clicking on the hard floor as she walked.

Outside she looked around to see if there was any sign of them. Perhaps she had missed them. But there was no sign. It was only quarter past five. A thought suddenly crossed her mind. Maybe the date went horribly wrong; maybe she didn't need to intervene. She was about to get into a taxi, when she caught a glimpse of someone sitting in the window of a small coffee shop. Sam.

She quickly slammed the door to the taxi and as quickly as her heels would allow, crossed the street to the shop. As she entered, a waiter greeted her, but she rudely brushed him off and made her way to where Sam was seated. "Where is she, Sam?" she took the seat opposite her.

Sam looked away from her magazine and faced Simone. "Oh, hi Simone." Sam said. "Do you think this is real?" She said pointing to an article. She was pointing at an article that was claiming a 'scientifically proven' way to prevent weight gain.

"Cut the crap Nishimura." Simone demanded. "Where's Lara?"

"Lara?" Sam feigned ignorance. "Oh yeah, _Lara_. She's on a date. Haven't you heard."

"I know," Simone sneered "Where?"

"At the museum," Sam said sweetly. "That's why I'm here, to spy on her and make sure it goes well."

"I was just there, she's not there and neither is Alex." Simone's cheeks turned red as her anger level began to rise. "And you said she was at the British museum."

"I thought she was." Sam gasped. "I must have misheard her. "I guess she's at a different one." She smirked.

"Which. One?" Simone barked.

"Sorry, I don't know." Sam winced falsely. "It shouldn't be too hard to find out. There are only 240 museums in London."

Simone's eyes widened. She had been tricked. "You bitch. You set me up." Venom was dripping from her voice.

"_Moi_? No I didn't." Sam said. "I put information on the internet."

"Don't play games with me. Do you know who my father is?" Simone hissed.

"Vaguely," Sam smirked. "I know he's a politician, and he sits in parliament. I also know he's under investigation, for fraud and tax evasion, for padding his expenses account, and that he can't get a loan because of bad credit." Sam smiled. She had done her homework. "That and the fact he only got his job because of your grandfather."

"How dare you?" Simone screeched, she slapped Sam as hard as she could. "Don't you dare talk about my father like that." Others in the shop were now staring at them.

"Awww." Sam said in a voice like she was talking to a lost child. "Does the truth hurt?" She said checking her refection in the window. There was a faint hand print on her face, but it would fade in a while.

"You're a liar." Simone whispered viciously.

"And you're a manipulative whore." Sam said flatly.

The waiter had made his way over to the table. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Okay. I understand." Sam said as she rose from her seat. She had been expecting to be asked to leave.

"No miss, Not you." The waiter said. "I mean _you." _The waiter directed at Simone.

"_What_?" Simone screeched. "_Why_?"

"Well, several customers have complained of the noise you have caused in the few minutes you have been here." And you assaulted one of our customers." He listed said. "I must insist that you leave."

Sam sat back down. This was going better than she could have planned.

Simone scoffed, and stormed out of the shop.

"I am terribly sorry miss." The waiter said to Sam. "Is there anything that I can get you?"

"Just some more coffee please." Sam beamed at him. The waiter nodded and made his way to a back to the counter.

The seat across from Sam, was once again filled. Declan looked at her, his eyes full of concern. "You all right, Sam?" that sounded like some wallop you got."

"Nah, that was nothing." Sam brushed it off. "Did you get it?" Declan placed the camera gently on the table. "You're an angel." Sam beamed.

"You mind explaining what that was all about now?" Declan asked. "I mean, I'm glad that I could help, but some context would be nice."

"Oh she's just a pain in the ass that needs taken down a few pegs." Sam said. "She was trying to bust up Lara's date, and I was stopping her."

"_Lara, has a date?"_ Declan asked shocked. "_Really_?"

"Yep." Sam said. "She's out with Alex."

"Wow." Declan laughed. "'Bout time that girl did somethin' other than work."

"I know." Sam giggled. "My hard work has not been in vain."

"So, what do you wanna do now?" Declan asked.

"How about a movie?" Sam suggested. "Then afterwards we can go back to my place."

"Sounds great." Declan smirked.

Sam drained her cup and asked for the bill. She took out her purse and left the money for her coffee, plus a very generous tip for the waiter before departing.

* * *

This one took a while to plan out. I've got a vague idea of the next few chapters, but not really sure.


End file.
